Rotary toothbrush



Jan 29, 1924. 1,481,891 J. R. CRUIKSHANK M ROTARY TOOTHBRLISH Filed April 15 .@1922 'and use in a hi y.tive form. I attain this object by the construction- Patented ,Jam 29, 1924.

UNITED 'STATES PATENT oFFica.

l no'rARY '.roo'riasnusn.

Application led April 1 To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, Jaime R. CiiUiksHANK, a subject of the Ki of Great-Brit- Y f following is a specification.

y invention relates to improvements in rotary tooth brushes, and the object of my invention is to provide a device of this nature in which the brush member is adapted to be revolved a ainst the teeth by manually operated mec anism to brush the same by rotary movements instead of lateral movements, as is the prevailing, and ineiiicient, practice at the present time, and which device is simple in construction and operation and capable of being manufactured for sale ghly convenient and 'attracillustrated in the in whichv Fig. 1 is' an outside view of my tooth brush. I .i

Fig. 2 is an outside view of Fig. 1 showing the cap removed and the operating handle at the end of the outstroke.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the centre 'linefof Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of one form of the rotary brush member.

Fig., 5 is a detail view of an alternative form of the rotary brush member.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a brush member for lateral movement.

Fig. 7 is an end view of Fig.

Fig. 8 is a side view of a cel u containinga brush member. Fig. 9 isa detail view in perspective, of the nuts and engaging bar.

'Similar numerals of reference indicate j' accompanying drawings 2. y loid capsule similar parts throughout the several views.

The device consists of a socketed member 1 rotatably mounted in a sleeve 2 having in one end the socket 3 and connected at its other end to the end of a right and left spirally grooved rod 4 longitudinally movable within a c lindricalsleeve or handle 5, on which ro and within the sleeve are mounted nuts 6 and 7, one nut co-operating with the right hand spiral groove and the other nut with the left hand one. 8 indicates a buttonimember slidable in a slot9 formed in the sleeve adapted to mbve into or 5, 1922.' Serial'No. 553,067.

out of engagement with one or other of the nuts a short bar 10accordingfas the button is moved to either end of the slot, the nuts having peripheral notches or slots co-operating with the bar so'that when the bar is engaged with a slot of nut 6 this nut is held to the sleeve 5 while nut 7 is free of the sleeve and when the bar vis enga d' with a slot of the nut 7 this nut is `he d to the sleeve .5 while nut 6 isfree of it. If therefore the right hand nut is held to the sleeve and the sleeve, that is, the handle 5, moved forward towards the socketed member 1 the rod 4 will rotate in a left hand direction the left hand nut running free while if the let hand nut be connected to the sleeve the rod Awill rotate to the right.

The construction described in the foregoing is well known, as also is its operation, and therefore it is thought requires no fur7 ther description.

Mounted on the inner end of the grooved rod 4 is a washer 11 fitting slidably the bore of the handle 5 and between the washer and the end of the handle, which is closed, is a spring 12 which, when the pressure on the .handle is relieved at the end of the inwardl stroke, returns it to the normal position.

The brush member consists of a short stem or shaft 13, of any suitable material such as bone, the inner end of which is adapted to tit tightly in the socket 3 when pushed therein under hand pressure while its outer end is provided with suitable bristles 14 arranged circularly round the stem, the preferred arrangement being a cylindrical brush 15 the periphery of which is concave to suit the shape of the teeth and there may be one or more such brushes mounted on the stem, there bein two shown in the drawing, Figs. 1 to 4. in alternative form of brush member may be used, as shown in Fig. 5, in which the brush consists of Aa series of circular brushes 16 arranged side by side on the stem, while ifdesired a stem provided with the form of brush in present use for lateral movements, as at 17 in Fig. 6, may be used.

18 indicates a guard secured to the sleeve 2 to keep the brush clear of the mouth wall while rotating, and 19 indicates a cap adapted to cover the brush when not in use, which cap may be provided with a clip 20 so .that the brush may be carried in the vest or jacket pocket. y

' In use the cap 19 is removed and the brush held against the teeth, the sleeve 2 being held by the fingers of one hand` whereupon the brush may then be rotated by gripping the handle 5 bythe fingers ot the other hand and moving,r the handle bark and forth laterally as long as is required. Should it be desired to brush the teeth laterally the ro` tary brush member is removed from the sorket and the brush 1T is inserted in its place. when the brush may be used like an ordinary toothbrush.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have devised a simple tooth brush capable ot' beingr used at will either as a rotary brush or for lateral movement. whieh is handy and (-onvenient, and which enables the alternative forms of brush members to be carried in capsule form in a readily portable Inanner for immediate use, as shown at 23 in Fig. 8.

What I claim as m invention is A rotary tooth brus comprising, in combination, a stationary sleeve, a soeketed member rotatably mounted in said sleeve, a. spirally grooved rod to the outer end of which said soeketed member is secured, a

Cylindrical handle within which the inner lend of the rod extends, a nut rotatably 

